WebQuests: Tools for Differentiation

With the proliferation of the web comes a plethora of online learning tools and experiences. The wealth of information being shared, talked about, debated and revised online has transformed the way education operates and how students learn. It's also altered people's expectations of how teachers should teach and how students should learn. These ideas, and the many tools which they inspire, are discussed in Schweizer and Kossow's "WebQuests: Tools for Differentiation" (2007).

WebQuests have been around for more than a decade and were some of the most popular tools for engaging students in web-based activities. These inquiry-oriented activities introduce students to a variety of web-based information, whether it's linking them to other websites or online media (videos, pictures, etc.) WebQuests require students to use these resources to deepen their understanding and expand their knowledge base about a particular concept or desired set of skills. They can be used to make otherwise "flat" research assignments (the dreaded "book report" variety) and make them more dynamic by forcing students to interact with information on a deeper level. Schweizer and Kossow discuss the features and advantages of using WebQuests, presenting their five components: (1) Introduction; (2) Task; (3) Process; (4) Evaluation; and (5) Conclusion, that help teachers organize the WebQuest in a way that students find logical and easy to navigate (2007).

Teachers are always on the lookout for new tips and tricks to add to their toolkits. As a media specialist, I'm always searching for ways to add rigor and use inquiry-based learning to spark my students' curiosity in a topic or idea to drive their research. 

So, if WebQuests were considered to be the darling of Web 1.0 engagement for students, what would you consider using as a transformative Web 2.0 tool (even that sounds antiquated) to engage students in a similar way?